CanadaNews’ Reporter Notes

On the last day of the Take America Back Conference, organised by the nonprofit Campaign for America’s Future, some of the conference participants became protesters of the fighting and occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan.  These protestors believe we have been in these countries (Iraq moreso than Afghanistan) far longer than the United States need be.

Everyone might agree that Sadam Hussein needed to be removed as the head of government in Iraq.  We all might not agree that it was the United States and England’s place to make that call.  With everything that has ensued since Hussein’s departure - it seems apparent, to many, that the ‘Allied’ countries have been there far too long.  Nothing seems to be improving and chances are that the United States [or some other country] will be in the region for a very long time.

Other countries that have been involved with the occupation have gone through major changes since their involvement.  The one place that stands out in my mind is Australia.  In the beginning, the Australian government was one of the major Allied players in Iraq, thanks to its former Prime Minister John Howard.  Howard’s decision to get take a serious role in an unpopular war is what motivated voters to oust him and elect present Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. 

I was in a press conference at the Foreign Press Center in the National Press Building around the time of the Australian elections.  The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was giving the audience the White House/Pentagon’s position on the present circumstances in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Interestingly enough, an Australian journalist asked if he felt Howard’s unpopularity will result in his defeat?  The Chairman had no comment. 

In Australia’s corner of the world, they are sometimes referred to as the United States’ unwitting step-brother. 

It seems apparent that the goings-on in Iraq are unpopular to all of the world leaders except for those in the freest democratic republic on the face of the Earth.  When the citizenry finds the situation deplorable and the (so called anti-Iraq) democratic Congress wants to bring an end to the fighting – and the President of the United States doesn’t seem to get it.  You get what brought hundreds of people out in the rain today.  They are looking for change.  Maybe not the same kind of change that Barack Obama promise, but definitely something different than what President Bush has provided.

Their protest today marks the 5^th Anniversary of the U.S. occupation in Iraq.  There is a long list of people who are sponsoring this protest (Check here for info).  The rain does give their cause a more dramatic effect.  These organisations have banned together under the umbrella of United for Peace and Justice. 

The protesters were looking for nonviolence during this protest.  And it’s funny because DCPD wasn’t looking to arrest anyone.  Chief Lanier said, “An arrest would only highlight their cause even more.”  The DCPD officers were ordered to wear no riot gear and arrest no one unless they were actually seen committing an obvious crime.  In my opinion it looks like DCPD had the upper hand in this quasi-melee. 

To date slightly over 3,900 military officers have been killed in Iraq.  No one is exactly sure how many people Iraqi people have been killed; but it’s estimated at over 1 million.  Sadly, over 2 million Iraqis are living as refugees in other countries and another 2.5 million are displaced within Iraq. At this exact moment $608 billion has already been spent on the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan.  Some of you may remember in the beginning President Bush said this fighting would cost $60 billion.  And out of all of this the Bush administration is asking the U.S. Congress for at least another $102 billion.

Both major political parties need to work together to bring this country together.

United for Peace and Justice is the largest grassroots anti-war coalition in the country, consisting of more than 1,400 local and national groups throughout the United States who have joined together to protest the immoral and disastrous Iraq War and oppose our government’s policy of permanent warfare and empire-building. UFPJ has organized the largest anti-war demonstrations in both NYC and Washington, DC, over the past five years. For more details, go to www.unitedforpeace.org.

For more information about the protest check out this website:   www.5yearstoomany.org. 

If you are interested in finding out more about groups that support the troops and occupation in Iraq, check out this site:  Winds of Change